1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a template cleaning method, a template cleaning system, and a template cleaning apparatus which are used for, for example, cleaning a template for nanoimprint.
2. Background Art
In recent years, a miniaturization of a semiconductor device has been advanced, and there is a need to produce a device that has an extremely miniaturized structure of 30 nm or less in size. In such a case, where a nanoimprint technique is used, a cleaning process needs to be carried out to eliminate particles of the same size as the resist filling width of a template.
At present, the minimum size of defects that can be detected from a quartz template by a defect inspection apparatus is approximately 50 nm. On the other hand, where a device having an extremely miniaturized structure of 50 nm or less, such as a structure of 10 nm to 40 nm in size, is to be manufactured by a nanoimprint technique, it is necessary to clean the template to remove minute-size particles of approximately 10 nm to 40 nm in size. However, particles of such minute sizes cannot be detected by today's defect inspection apparatuses.
Therefore, when a template is cleaned, the cleaning needs to be performed by a template cleaning apparatus from which particles of such minute sizes have been eliminated. This is because particles of such minute sizes adhering as defects to a template cannot be detected by today's defect inspection apparatuses.
JP-A 2008-270686(KOKAI) discloses examples of a pattern forming apparatus and a pattern forming method using a nanoimprint technique.